


Reviving the Blackout

by miraculouslycool (orphan_account)



Series: Her Light to His Darkness [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged up characters, Also I'm not going to be as hard on Lila as I used to be, Angst, Chloè redemption, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gabriel? Yeah, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Part 2, Post Reveal, Sequel, Slice of Life, They're both 18, Trust Issues, adrienette - Freeform, bewarned there's handholding, gabemoth is still a dick, ladrien, major character illness, possible lila-demption?, post relationship, screw him, secrets kept
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25818784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/miraculouslycool
Summary: For the past two months, Adrien Agreste could not imagine being happier. Being a couple shouldn't be hard when you're basically already attached at the hip for three years, right? Adrien definitely thought so. What he didn't seem to understand was why Marinette, The Ladybug herself flinched everytime when she caught sight of anything that resembled a butterfly. Why she lied about her supposedly blissful slumbers every night.Not like he had room to talk.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Her Light to His Darkness [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873528
Comments: 13
Kudos: 77





	1. Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> HEYLOO!!! Here is the sequel to Her Light to His Darkness!! It takes place 2 months from where we left off. Fair warning, I may not update this one as regularly as I did the first one. I still have a very vague idea of how this story is going to go, and life is catching up to me in the form of college.  
> Nevertheless, I don't have any intention of abandoning this story. That, I can promise you.  
> Thank you for all the love on HLtHD! Hope you enjoy this one!

"You look so pretty, Marinette!" Tikki said as her chosen twirled in front of her to show her outfit.

"Yeah, well..." Marinette said, looking down at her green, boat necked sweater, black pants and heeled boots. "Alya could have done a better job but...."

"These are your designs, Marinette!" Tikki gushed. "No one could ever wear them better than you. And besides, I'm sure Adrien will think you're gorgeous no matter what."

A dopey grin spread across her face. "Can't argue with that." She twirled a strand of hair absent-mindedly. It had still brought a slight flutter to her heart when he called her an hour ago just to hang out.

She had been so worried about him getting in trouble with his father, but he had laughed it off. Gabriel Agreste didn't seem to hate her in the basic sense, he was perfectly civil to her in the instances she encountered him every time she came over to Adrien's place, but she didn't want to push it too much.

"I know what you're thinking." Tikki said, her hands on her hips.

"Tikki, I swear, I'm over that." Marinette winced, realizing that her kwami had no doubt noticed the dark shadow in her expression.

"Marinette…" Tikki sighed. "It's been two months. Nothing bad has happened to either of you. Bunnix hasn't shown up, and you two are still an amazing team. Being a couple hasn't diminished that at all."

"I know, but I worry-" Her voice cracked, rendering her powerless to finish her sentence.

"Marinette!!" her mother called. "Adrien's here!"

"Coming, mom!" Marinette called back. "Okay," She said, giving herself a little shake as she watched her reflection. "You are not going to be a disaster. You are going to have a good time with your boyfriend, and you are not going to muck it up with your stupid theories."

Her reflection glared back at her, daring her to disagree.

* * *

  
"I hope everyone is ready?" Mme. Cheng whispered to Adrien in hushed tones.

"They're already setting up," Adrien said, politely reassuring her. "Don't worry, Mme. Cheng, I'll make sure she's-"

"Mama, where's Papa?" Marinette strode inside the bakery, looking around, then smiling widely as soon as her eyes landed on Adrien.

'Meep.'

That was the sound of Adrien's brain briefly malfunctioning. She looked so darn adorable in that cute sweater-he would have picked her up and cuddled her to his chest if they were alone.

"He went out for deliveries, dear," Mme. Cheng answered, her sharp eyes picking up on the sparks flying between her daughter and the sweet boy she was already ready to call her son.

"Oh, okay." Marinette shrugged before walking up to Adrien's side. "Close your mouth, Adrien," She giggled, patting his cheek. "You'll catch flies."

"Right!" He hastened to obey. It was stupid how lovesick he was. They had already been dating for two months and he couldn't believe how casually affectionate Marinette was acting in front of her parents. He was still afraid to do something more than hold her hand in front of his father.

"Alright then, you kids have fun!" Mme. Cheng said, waving to them.

"Thank you, Mme-" he stopped when he saw her pointedly look at him. "I mean, thank you, Sabine. Sorry," he chuckled, his hand immediately finding Marinette's. "Force of habit."

Sharing one last meaningful look with Sabine, he let Marinette pull him outside.

* * *

  
"So, are you going to tell me why you called me over?" Marinette asked pointedly, hoping to gauge a reaction out of him. Instead she only received a sly smirk.

"What on earth do you mean? This is me, a normal guy, making use of the opportunity to take my wonderful girlfriend out without getting hounded by the paparazzi."

Marinette still winced when she remembered the earlier craze that surrounded her as Adrien Agreste's girlfriend. The comments on social media were often cruel and biting and the people who approached her in the middle of the street when she was hanging out with her friends were worse.

Not that it didn't have its up-sides. For example, having a certain cat as a visitor almost every night certainly was an advantage. And her distaste for the attention bought her Gabriel Agreste's favor.

When his father invited her for lunch, Adrien had told her to not worry about it, but she insisted on wearing something on the more formal side of casual. M.Agreste was stiff and polite, but his manner was cold and his eyes were unfeeling, even as he asked Marinette what her plans were for the future.

She had replied with the most obvious answer, she wanted to be a designer. Adrien had helpfully supplied her with verbal encouragement, telling his father excitedly about several of her designs.

She had no idea a conversation about her passion could sound like a desperate sales pitch.

However, that wasn't the hard part. The true challenge was convincing Adrien's father, the only family he had left, that she truly loved him for who he was and not his name.

Imagine her surprise when Gabriel Agreste didn't even imply or insinuate about her intentions.  
Adrien himself was confused, ("I was so prepared to defend you! He asked me just yesterday if I was only going to school to fool around instead of study! Maybe he liked you so much he changed his mind?") but they weren't complaining. Every time Marinette's visited Adrien's house after his father's seal of approval, she didn't have to interact with anyone in the mansion except her boyfriend and Plagg.

Bringing her head back to earth, Marinette narrowed her eyes at Adrien's free wrist in his pocket. "Then why do I see you checking your phone every five minutes? Are we expecting something?"

"Oh, oh no,it's nothing." Adrien shrugged. "I was just making sure I didn't miss any messages from Natalie or my bodyguard. I kind of had to ask her help to pull some strings to finish my shoot early yesterday so I could have today free to be with you." He took their intertwined hands and kissed the top of hers. "I missed you, Princess."

Hearing him make all those sincere efforts made Marinette feel guilty for prying.  
She couldn't imagine getting used to that awful sense of intimidation that Gabriel Agreste seemed to exude. Like your every movement was being judged and scrutinized even if he wasn't in the room.

How on earth did Adrien do it?

"I missed you too, you silly cat." She nudged his shoulder.

He pouted at that. "That was not what you said two days ago."

"Oh, you mean when you tripped over three rooftops to show up on my balcony transformed and delirious?"

"I wasn't that tired!" he protested, though she could tell he was smiling a little too much to actually be serious. "You didn't have to kick me out. I hadn't seen you in weeks!"

"You not sleeping in weeks was more drastic, if you ask me." Marinette sighed.

"Plagg was just being a snitch!" Adrien complained.

"And if I hadn't carried you over to your house myself, you wouldn't have slept as well as you did," Marinette said firmly.

"You're wrong. I slept as well as I did because I managed to convince you to sleep over instead." He kissed her forehead, chuckling at her flushed expression of betrayal.

"I'm trying to tell you to be careful! You flirting with me won't get the message across!" Marinette whined, hitting his shoulder.

Adrien on the other hand, was surprised. She did not mention today's date, or even hint towards it. Did she really forget what today was?

Clearing his throat, he continued in a whisper only they could hear. "Don't worry, m'lady, this cat is as fit as a fiddle." He flexed his free arm, grinning when she didn't look away.

It seemed like Marinette was kind of distracted herself, because it took her moment to reply. "Of course!" she said, tearing her gaze away from something behind him.

"Is everything okay?" Adrien asked, pausing his stride, which made Marinette stop as well. "You look a little tense."

"Nothing!" Marinette said quickly. "I just thought I saw something and...never mind."

She looked straight ahead, her adrenaline still running high. She had thought she had seen an akuma, her razor-sharp instincts catching on a butterfly, before realizing it was just a normal blue one.

She really needed to stop being so on edge. It's not like Hawkmoth could see them together and-

"M'lady, you look really tense." Adrien's arm slung around her. "Is this about the...you-know-what?"

"Yes!" Marinette gratefully latched on to the topic. "I was kind of worried because, you know, Hawkmoth probably has Master Fu's half-translated book and I don't know why he hasn't made use of it or- you know what, best not jinx it."

"Wait, half-translated?" Adrien interrupted.

"Master Fu didn't complete his guardian training either, remember?" Marinette said quietly as Adrien led them into a turn. "He wasn't able to translate the entire grimoire and he wasn't able to keep it either because it was yours and-"

"Wait a minute." Adrien's eyes narrowed. "How did Master Fu get the book? I thought I lost it."

"Er...." Marinette winced. "Well now you know it was me who confronted Lila, but I also saw her dump the book into the trash a few minutes before you came, Tikki recognized it, brought me to Master Fu and-" Her words hitched when she realised she was entering sensitive territory.

That was the day she had unknowingly hurt him by suggesting his father was Hawkmoth. He didn't need to hear that again.

"And then you got the book back!" Marinette squeaked, finishing off the subject. He ALSO didn't know she made a fool of herself in front of his father on purpose so he could come back to school.

"Anyway, let's not dwell on this now! We're on a date, let's just focus on being together. No need to worry about a book that was already returned!" She laughed nervously, hoping he would drop the subject.

This was undoubtedly stupid and she knew it-here they were, identities revealed, almost every secret shared-something like that wouldn't phase him, right?

Tikki would probably say she shouldn't be embarrassed about her kindness.

"Hmm..." Adrien stopped walking to look down at her. "Something doesn't seem to add up here, m'lady."

"W-what are you talking about?" Marinette cursed her stammer.

To his credit, Adrien didn't look angry. Not in the slightest. But there was no mistaking the triumph in his voice when he said, "I don't recall mentioning to anyone that the book was returned. How do you know that?"

Marinette gaped at him like a fish. Darn it! He could see right through her!

The screams that followed drowned out her next words.

Both of their heads turned to see people in the street perpendicular to them running away from something.

"An akuma!" Adrien gasped, pulling on Marinette's hand to run, but she wouldn't budge.

"M'lady, come on, we gotta go!!" Adrien said frantically.

"Look at them!!" Marinette pointed, her hand trembling. "How did they freeze like that?"

Adrien followed her finger's direction to see people stuck mid-run or mid-scream.

Some of them who had escaped into their street were screaming, "SNAKE!"

"A snake is chasing us!!"

"Okay, we better run." Adrien repeated himself, barely registering Marinette's shocked face as she abruptly pulled him into the nearest alleyway.

"M'lady, what-" he yelped, but she pushed him against the wall and clapped a hand over his mouth, motioning for him to be silent.

Squinting in the darkness, Adrien turned to find what Marinette had seen and he had missed.

A huge, terrifyingly huge length of what seemed to be a like a cross between a snake and a slug slunk past them on the main street. Adrien felt Marinette inhale sharply and his own eyes widen when they saw the abnormally large head of the reptile, whose eyes were not trained on them.

Luckily he recognised the creature from Nathalie's endless grilling on mythology. It wasn't just a snake, it was a basilisk.

Adrien's hands protectively shielded Marinette just in case the creature were to spy on them and turn them into stone too.

The end of its tail passed, and they were left standing in the dark.

"Okay," Marinette pulled her hand away from his mouth, immediately going into battle mode. "Seeing as you haven't been timing out since last month, you may have to cover for me a little."

In the little light coming from the alleyway, she saw him smirk.

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked.

"Nothing...you should pin me against walls more, that's all."

It was a relief to not put on an act of rolling her eyes at that.

Leaning in, she kissed his lips soundly. "Come on, Chaton. Paris needs us."

* * *

  
Adrien was a month older than his lady, and recently becoming an adult in the eyes of the law had gained him a new advantage.

He found out that he didn't time out after using Cataclysm during an akuma battle one week after his birthday, to his absolute delight.

However, as Master Fu had no doubt explained to Marinette, getting to actually use their powers more than once was going to take a longer time.

Still, he didn't complain. Having to listen to the sound of his ring beeping every time was an experience he would not miss.

"Remember, don't look into its eyes," Ladybug said from her crouch on the roof of a building as they watched the great serpent slither through streets, destroy lampposts, leave dents on the road and freeze everyone it passed. "A basilisk's stare means..." she gulped. "....death. We have to approach it from behind."

"But..." Chat Noir quirked an eyebrow. "Everyone is freezing in place, not dying like the legend says."

That seemed to catch her attention. "You're right. And...this doesn't seem like an akuma. Aren't akumas sentient?"

"You think this is a sentimonster?" He asked her, surprised. "But Mayura hasn't sent any in months, why would she send one-" Ladybug saw his right cat ear perk up.

"Look out!!" He lunged at her, sending them rolling across the roof as the Basilisk roared and crashed against the other side of the building.

"Don't open your eyes!!" Ladybug squeaked, realizing she had landed hard on the concrete.

"Chat?!" She called, when he didn't reply.

She didn't have to open her eyes to see the flash of white leather flanked by blue, unfeeling eyes.

"Chat Noir!!!!" She yelled again, and her fears were silenced when she felt his hand grab hers.

"I'm here." he said, and she let the warmth of his leather glove seeped through her suit, reminding her that her nightmare was just a nightmare.

The serpent roared again and without thinking, Ladybug pulled herself up, pulled her kitty along with her and jumped.

There was weightlessness and his strong grip on her hand before she heard the thud of his boots next to her.

"Are we back on the street?" Ladybug asked, and she felt his hands slide up to her cheeks.

"Yeah, we are." He said, his palm resting on the small of her back.

"Are your eyes open?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. We lost it, for now." He said, and she peeked an eye open.

She sighed in relief. "Okay, it's no doubt back in the street now. Let's get behind it." She began running, conscious of everything in sight.

"Right behind you, m'lady!" he said enthusiastically.

* * *

  
The tail of the basilisk peeked out from in between two collapsed buildings, harmlessly wagging as if it belonged to a dog instead.

"We can't go after it without backup," Ladybug said. "Let's hope this is a blindfold or something. Lucky Charm!!"

A bottle of perfume fell into her hands.

"Perfume?" She sputtered. "What good will perfume do?"

"Exactly, right?" Chat Noir said. "I know for a fact that you don't need that to smell as good as you do." He gave her an exaggerated wink.

She pushed him back by the nose, though she was blushing anyway. "Easy there, kitty. Chat Noir and Ladybug aren't a couple remember? If you make me blush in public, it's game over."

He sighed, but shrugged, agreeing.

"Of course!! Smell! That's how it found us first!!"

"So we spray it on us so it can't locate us? That could work....but it could still see us."

"You're right," Ladybug conceded. "So!" she said, realizing. "We blind it after taking away its sense of smell! I'll tie it down and you trap it by destroying the street. Only then we can disarm it safely.

"Got it." He nodded dutifully.

* * *

  
Becoming a couple hadn't in any way deterred their teamwork. Before long, Ladybug had tamed the large serpent bucking around like a bronco, all with her eyes closed. Chat Noir was able to control his ogling for two seconds to destroy the road, trapping the sentimonster into the destroyed street, unable to move.

"Chat Noir!!" Ladybug tossed the perfume and he swung his staff like a bat, his aim true and clear.

The bottle exploded right in front of the creature, which screamed in agony as it caught a whiff of the strong chemicals.

"Now, where is your obje-huh?" Ladybug gasped from her perch on its body. "Did you just see it flicker?"

"Did it?" Chat Noir said, squinting before a familiar blue haze covered its body.

"Oh no." Ladybug grimaced. "Heads up!!" she shouted, jumping off the wreckage Cataclysm had made and straight into Chat's arms.

"Gotcha!!" He caught her bridal style, holding her to him protectively, his heart pounding a mile a minute.  
A second too late and Ladybug would have fallen into the ditch he made.  
Okay, he was being dumb, of course she could jump back again. He really needed to get his head back where it belonged. He was Ladybug's Chat Noir. No more Aspik-tude. 

Ladybug's mouth dropped open from her perch in his arms as they watched the basilisk disappear all on it's own, leaving behind only a white feather that fluttered away innocently.

"How did it...?" Ladybug gasped, her hair tickling Chat's chin. "It _was_ a sentimonster!"

"Maybe Mayura thought it was a lost cause?" He supplied.

"That can't be the case." Ladybug said, still holding on to his waist even when he set her down gently. "Hawkmoth and Mayura have never actually reversed themselves unless they were....." she sucked in a breath as she realised the answer. "....planning something else."

"Are you sure about that? You know...now that I think about it, this sentimonster was really weak. It didn't even have the power to kill anyone like the legends say." Chat said, following her as she picked up the broken pieces of what remained of the exploded perfume bottle. "It didn't come after us even though it saw us jump off that building."

"And it seemed too docile even though I tamed it." Ladybug pointed out. "And I should know, I once tamed a dragon."

"Hehe." he said, starry-eyed as he kissed her forehead. "How could I forget?"

"Do you think that something genuinely went wrong on their end? The monster disappearing seemed sudden, like a last-minute resort. Something's clearly up."

"Don't worry, m'lady." He squeezed her shoulder. "We'll figure this out."

She nodded, sighing. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the glass pieces into the air.

* * *

  
The minute they detransformed in the same alleyway from earlier, she found herself being pulled into his arms in a fierce hug, as was the tradition post-akumas lately.

He murmured into her hair. "I was so scared you'd fall into that mess I made."

Her arms wrapped around his waist, burrowing herself into his embrace. Just another day in the lives of the superhero duo.

Marinette knew she had her own share of reckless moments too. And knowing that the same boy who threw his life on the line for her on a daily basis had to watch her disappear into thin air repeatedly...

She knew her own recklessness affected him too. She was getting better at realizing that.

"I knew you would catch me," She said into his slouched shoulder. "That's why I jumped."

He pulled back to look at her briefly before leaning in for a soft, gentle kiss that stole her breath away.

She wouldn't let him become that sad, lonely, murderous being. He was none of those things, and she swore to herself to protect him from that horrible fate.

"If I'm not mistaken," his eyes shone with gratitude as he lifted her hand to kiss it. "And you returned the book to my father like I'm guessing you did....I don't know what I did to deserve you."  
He always did that.

"Adrien...." Marinette whined, holding his cheek.  
Counting his blessings was one thing but acting like he would never be worthy of them was another.

"Did you?" he asked.

"...yeah," she said in a small voice. "I sort of lied to your father about being a fan of yours and hiding the book away because I didn't want you to know I had it-it was SO dumb! I didn't mean to hide it from you, promise, I was embarrassed….? I don't even know why, this is stupid."

Adrien sighed as he just let Marinette burrow her face into his chest. She never let herself accept any praise or credit, even if she whole-heartedly deserved it. His lovesick words still made her blush, and even though that was what he wanted, her cheeks weren't tinged with flattery; she was overwhelmed, like she still needed time to process them.

"I mean it, Bugaboo. If you hadn't stuck your neck out for me, I would never have been able to get out of my house," he said while littering kisses along her temple.

"I love you." He sighed out the words. And he did love her. Even with all her quirks and trains of thoughts he didn't understand.

Did his constant declarations of love bother her? No, that wouldn't be the case - she would tell him if it were-

She latched her lips upon his with a lot of energy he hadn't expected.

"I love you too." she said, and her nose was dusted with a deeper reddish tinge.

-which confused him all the more. Was he trying to convince her about his love or was it the other way around?

Suddenly, Adrien's phone vibrated and he groaned comically, making Marinette laugh.

"One second-" Adrien said, but cut himself off when he saw several messages from Nino.

_Nino: Adrien, everything is set up, I think you can bring her now._  
_Nino: Dude, you there?_

  
_Missed phone call at 11:23_

  
_Nino: Bro, stop making out with 'Nette for one minute and pick up the damn phone_

  
_3 missed calls at 12:05_

  
_Nino: ARE YOU TWO IN THE SAME PLACE AS THAT AKUMA_  
_Nino: BECAUSE IF YOU ARE I'M THIS CLOSE TO LETTING ALYA LOOSE ON YOU_  
_Nino: ADRIEN_  
_Nino: ADRIEN!!!_  
_Nino: DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME BRO_

_Adrien: Dude, chill, I'm here. Marinette and I got held up because of the akuma_

_Nino: FUCK YOU BRO I WAS ABOUT TO CALL THE FUCKING ARMY_

_Adrien: Nino._

_Nino: Whatever you're late anyway, bring her here. Alya is having a panic attack._

"What's up?" Marinette asked slowly.

"Why do you think something is up?" Adrien blinked rapidly.

Marinette crossed her arms, sizing him up. "I know that look. You were planning something all along, weren't you?"

"Am I that terrible at hiding it?" Adrien gaped.

"Not that terrible. I mean, you could have fooled literally anyone else." She booped his nose affectionately, and he caught her hand to kiss it briefly.

"I could never hide anything from you - not for long anyway." He led her out of the alleyway.

"So there is something!!" Marinette caught up to his longer strides. "What is it??? No, wait, don't tell me-"

"Wasn't planning on it. It's a surprise, so I'm literally forbidden from telling you or letting you guess."

"Wait, what??" Marinette gasped. "Wait a second. That's not you talking...who else is on this? What is this surprise?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?"

"Did Alya possess you?" Marinette began but was interrupted by Adrien grasping her hand.

"Do you trust me on this, Bug?" He asked softly.

Marinette melted right there. How could she say no to those beautiful green eyes?

"Of course I do."

"Great, I'm blindfolding you for the next 15 minutes."

"What?"

* * *

  
"Careful there, you gotta take a slightly bigger step," Adrien said, catching hold of her waist when she nearly tripped again.

"Adrien!!" Marinette whined. "I can't walk without tripping on air on a good day and now I have to navigate the world blindfolded?"

"What on earth do you mean?" he said, and she felt a little bad about taking away all the blood supply to his hand because of her iron grip. "You're walking perfectly."

"Is anyone laughing at me?" Marinette asked hesitantly.

He laughed. "Do you really not know what today is?"

"Uh....I think today is Wednesday?"

"And?"

"And what?? Is today something important?"

"Wow, and here I was thinking you not timing out after using your Lucky Charm would definitely have tipped you off."

"Huh?"

He didn't answer her immediately. She heard creaking, and the light slam of what she thinks is a door.

"Okay, just a little further, Marinette!!" His voice suddenly became louder, more pointed and purposeful.

She didn't remember anything being scheduled today, did she check her schedule?

And what was Adrien talking about not timing out-?

The answer came to her when Adrien made her stop with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You ready?" He whispered in her ear, which sent shivers down her spine.

"Uh huh," Marinette murmured, her eyes burning slightly when Adrien lifted the blindfold off and the first thing she saw was a huge banner that read-

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINETTE!!" her friends (mostly Alya) yelled, her father blew a huge party horn and she could see the already-burning candles sparkling on a huge cake.

"I-it's my birthday?" Marinette stammered joyfully.

"You were right, Alya." Adrien slung an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder, looking downcast. "She forgot her own birthday."

"Told you so, Agreste! You owe me 10 euros!"


	2. Truth

"Nathalie, this is getting out of hand." Gabriel Agreste glared over his assistant, his tall shadow looming over her bed side. "I thought you were asleep 2 hours ago." 

"Gabriel, I-" she coughed into her hands, quickly clearing her throat. "That sentimonster-" 

"Enough. We don't need to talk about that pathetic attempt. We weren't a big enough threat." 

"You made me remove the amok." Nathalie said, pushing a blue wisp of hair away from her eyes. "We were close, all I had to do was-" 

"-it is pointless, Nathalie." Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I did so much, I worked so hard, all so that you could use the peacock without wasting your strength. And I failed. Again." 

He was taking all the blame for her, and Nathalie would have none of that. He moved closer to the bed, and for one hopeful moment, she thought he was going to sit at her bedside, but he remained standing, his face crushed with disappointment and anger.

"No, Gabriel, you don't-" she coughed, and stars danced in front of her eyes, rendering her incapable of speech for a few seconds. 

"You don't ....understand." she gasped. "It isn't the peacock." 

Gabriel looked up at her in surprise, and that alone made Nathalie forget her train of thought. His eyes drifted over to the peacock pin on her chest, and they narrowed, scrutinizing the jewel. 

The jewel. Not her. 

Of course it had to be that way. They were doing this for Emilie.

"Gabriel, you did fix the peacock. Duusu isn't as erratic as she used to be. She....she used to cry at the most...mundane things...like me dropping a pen," she didn't mean for that to make her quirk a smile, but she quickly dropped her analysis on Duusu when she saw the flicker of irritation on Gabriel's face. 

"....but now she is able to pick an emotion and stick to it. She feels, and she always felt heavily, but now she's ...able to tell how she feels..." Nathalie's words were becoming more delirious, and she had to fight to maintain relevance. "And...it used to flicker rather often....while I was Mayura."

"May I have it back, Nathalie?" He extended a hand towards her, motioning for the miraculous. Her fingers fumbled with it, but she was able to place it back in his colder palm. His hand lingered for a moment, and he finally noticed the clammy shade Nathalie's skin had taken. 

"So if I did fix the miraculous..." 

"We just need more time." Nathalie said firmly. "Once I recover, I will be able to help you again." 

"Nathalie, the problem here doesn't seem to be the miraculous." Gabriel's eyes saddened. "It is you." 

"Me?" 

"You are too sick, and the wounds that the miraculous inflicted on you...." he stammered. Gabriel Agreste did not stammer. He seemed to realise that too, because his next words were more brisk. "...cannot be healed by normal means." He scowled. 

"The tablet...?" 

"The old man didn't translate everything." Gabriel growled. "If only....no matter. No point in dwelling on useless notions. I can't let you be Mayura, Nathalie. At least until we know that you are recovering." He stiffly pulled the covers up to her shoulders. 

"Does Adrien know that I have been staying here....?" 

"If he asks, stick to my deadlines and extra work. As long as you don't appear sick, he will not suspect a thing." That seemed to remind him. "Where is Adrien?"

"He is attending Mlle. Dupain Cheng's birthday party. He informed me he would be late today." 

"He has school tomorrow." Gabriel snapped. 

"He made sure to finish up his homework and other obligations before he came up to me-" Nathalie said defensively, before adding, out of habit, "-sir." 

He inhaled sharply. "No matter. Mlle. Dupain Cheng has an uncommonly good head on her shoulders, so it won't be too much of a problem. Adrien will come home, and should he break curfew, I have some choice words for him. In the meantime...my akumas. I have to do something different, Nathalie. Something bigger. Something...." his right hand fisted itself. "Something dangerous." 

"What do you mean?" Nathalie asked, groggily. 

"I have been focusing on the usual contenders - sadness, anger, jealousy....envy. But what could be more dangerous than pain?" 

* * *

Lila Rossi plopped herself angrily on her therapist's couch. The stupid woman seemed to be late, and if she had things her way, a purple butterfly would reach out to her and end her misery. 

She had tried everything. Her online classes sucked. Her mother had forced her into enrolling into them so that she wouldn't have to repeat her final year of schooling when they left for Italy by the end of next month. Her reputation at every school in Paris had been an utter disgrace. Alya had blocked her. Her entire former class had. The Ladyblog was running stronger than ever, with Alya's top post being  _ "10 effective moments of Teamwork from our heroes!!" _ She was getting praised for her professionalism, her good rapport with Ladybug and Chat Noir, and her....(Lila gagged) verified sources. 

The Marinette hussy had managed to grab Adrien's attention. She would like to open her phone browser one time without a blaring article on Adrien Agreste's new girlfriend. 

At first she had delighted in the several hateful comments Marinette had received. In no time, she thought that Adrien would be forced to cut her off or risk ruining his good image. 

People were dumb, unfortunately. Everyone liked Marinette now. Even Adrien's longtime fans had commended her on her designs and credits, and Paris - dumb, dumb Paris, thought that Adrienette was 'cute' and that they obviously loved each other. 

And for someone who desperately required her services, both Gabriel Agreste and Hawkmoth were radio silent.

Gabriel Agreste hadn't expressed his disapproval about his son fooling around with a gold digger, neither had he done anything to stop it. 

Hawkmoth...she didn't even have to pretend to feel angry and betrayed, and yet, not one akuma. Not one opportunity to destroy the so-called superhero who had ruined her life. Instead he was sending out blind snakes?! Pathetic!

"Hello, Lila." A friendly voice was followed by two knocks on the door. She turned to see a tall, blonde woman with her hair in a bun smiling at her. "My name is Dr.Adelaide Chenault, and I'm your therapist, you can call me Adelaide, if you want," she paused, taking in the scowling teenager's expression. "Or whatever you prefer. I'm not picky." She laughed warmly. "So, Lila, can you tell me what you are doing here today?" 

"I need 'help', apparently." Lila said shortly. 

"What do you need help with?" She asked, still smiling. 

That kindness. It repulsed her. 

"You saw my file. You know what I need." Lila said. 

"True." She said like she had just realised it herself. "But I'm of the opinion that only you can explain what you are going through. I don't expect to get a read on you immediately, seeing as we just met." 

_ ‘Excellent,’ _ Lila smirked. This gullible woman was giving her the power to draft her own narrative. 

Lila sniffled, her peripheral vision trained on the windows, in search of an akuma. "Whatever my mom, or my school notes tell you, they are not true! I'm being framed!" 

"The note from your principal mentions several instances of truancy." She said pointedly, and Lila felt her resolve snap. So she  _ had _ read the file! 

Pretending to be innocent wasn't going to get Mlle. Chenault anywhere, and Lila was going to prove it. "You are right, but I can explain, my mother is always away for work, and she didn't want me in a dangerous environment when she wasn't around to take care of me! And my mother turned out to be right, the people in my school were terrible bullies!" Lila buried her face in her hands. "The girl who ran the Ladyblog, Alya, she posted scathing things about me that aren't true! She posted that I bad mouthed Ladybug which I absolutely did not do! There's....there's this girl called Marinette, she's Alya's friend but she poisoned me against her because she was jealous of how close Alya and I were getting!" 

"I see. This, Marinette, do you know each other well? Has she tried to get to know you? Have you tried to get to know her?" 

"Yes! Yes, I have! I tried to make friends with her but she kept on going around telling people that I was a liar, and-and she stole my boyfriend for herself! That Marinette girl is the reason I'm sitting here,  _ asking for help I don't need!! _ " 

Lila stiffened at her own words.

Oops. She was going for pity, not anger. 

"You think you don't need help, Lila?" Mlle. Chenault said wryly. 

"No! What I need is a chance to prove myself, but how am I supposed to do that when I've been cheated on and bullied and stopped from doing exactly that? Anytime I tried to talk about my friendship with Jagged Stone, Marinette would rage and say I was trying to steal her thunder! As if I would ever do something like that!" 

"Lila, did you say the Ladyblog itself slandered you?" 

"Y-yes, why do you ask?" 

"Did you read the article, Lila?" 

"Of course I did! Alya called me an attention seeking bitch! And so did Ladybug in her quote!" 

"I see? I'm afraid you seem to be mistaken." 

"W-what?"

"The article that the Ladyblogger posted only had a video. A video that had Ladybug confirming that she was not your friend. Other than a warning to not get carried away with fame, Ladybug didn't say anything else about you. Not a single name. No direct accusations. And the notes from your principal didn't include bullying and harassment from anyone, or on anyone-" 

"Are you saying that I'm a bully??" 

"Only trying to be factual here." She interrupted. "As I was saying, there seem to be no accusations about or against you from your principal that involves bullying. So..." 

Every nerve in Lila's body tensed.

"...I'm afraid I cannot pursue anything with you unless we are completely honest with each other." 

"What??" 

"Lila, I'm well aware about who you are." 

She didn't sound angry. Her features were still pleasant. Who was this woman, a robot??

"I'm well aware about your tendencies to paint a picture of yourself that everyone will find pretty and shiny, and to go on perfecting and polishing those aspects of yourself so people will still remain attracted to you. Someone found out about it, and well...that can't have been good." 

"Shut up!!" Lila stood up, shouting. "What do you know about me? Who do you think you are, saying those things about me?!" 

"Since you came here, I'm assuming you want help to become a better version of yourself."

Adelaide hadn't moved, hadn't even flinched. 

"Better version of myse- there ISN'T a better version of me!" 

"Now don't lose hope, I'm sure you aren't as terrible as you think."

"Stop psychoanalysing me!! I didn't come to you for help! I was dragged here, in case you didn't notice - and, and if you say one thing about any, any of this -" Lila had to struggle to regain her bearings. "-well, you did do your homework on me, so you know I'm very good at ruining people who cross me." 

"So you don't want help?" She paraphrased. 

"Are you deaf? Yes!" Lila snapped. "I don't need your- your patronizing and-and- lecturing!!" 

"You're right." She sighed, reclining in her chair like Lila had just informed her about bad weather. 

"You seem to have no remorse for your harmful actions, such as deceiving your mother, forging her signature on leave notes, bad mouthing your friend Ladybug on several Ladyblog videos, and oh yes, gossiping. What have I missed...? Anyway," she continued despite the appalled look on her client's face. "You're right. A terrible person like you is beyond help. And you were only going to be here for a month or two before you jet set off to Italy, probably to repeat your school year, which is not looking good, considering your several absences. Too bad." 

Lila broke into a grin despite her stomach churning at those uncomfortably truthful words. 

"Good. I never have to see your fake robotic face ever again." She spun on her heel, but the second her hand touched the doorknob, she heard Adelaide chuckling to herself. 

" _ What? _ " Lila's instincts lapped at her like urgent waves on a seashore, scanning the room for a recorder or camera. Something that this crazy bitch had on her and could use on her as-

"Relax. There's no supervision here. Client confidentiality is a part of my job. If you threatened to kill me, or even if you actually did, no one would know. Also, I would never record anything without your explicit consent."

"Why would you need to record anything? I'm not going to be around here anymore. I'm beyond 'help', remember?! Your words!" 

"Because I lied, Lila." She said with an easy smile. "No one is beyond any help. It's never too late to ask for it. It's not wrong to ask for it either. And besides, your mother paid me off for the rest of the month and I really don't feel like refunding it. I've got bills to pay, you know."

"I'm not staying!!" 

"I'm not asking you to." 

"I don't know if anyone told you this, but you are a terrible liar. When you lie, you don't normally let the other person in on it." She rolled her eyes. To be perky and happy all the time like that was one thing, but to be stupid too? 

"I guess I mustn't have lied if I wanted to tell you the truth all along." 

"Then why lie?" Lila gritted her teeth. "Why lie if you're going to tell the truth anyway-why am I still talking to you?!" She swung open the door. 

"Finding out the truth hurts. It hurts more if a lie precedes it." Adelaide said gently. "Would me telling you that you are not beyond help have struck you as much as it did if I didn't get your hopes up for a little bit there?" 

To say Lila resembled an angry storm cloud would be an understatement.

"I know my lie made you feel betrayed, and angry. Is that really how you want people to feel?"

No one got to tell her how to be. Especially not some woman parading around with her doctorate like it somehow made her superior.

"I'm done. I'm not coming back. Keep your stupid money." Lila shouted before storming out.

* * *

Marinette had a wonderful day. She got to dance with her friends, get ambushed at every opportunity by Alya for a photo op (suspiciously when she was around Adrien), and her mother and father got along splendidly well with the teenagers. They even got to facetime Marinette's grandmother, who's first question to her granddaughter was "How is your boyfriend?" 

-which shocked her. She had not seen her grandmother in ages and certainly hadn't mentioned her relationship with Adrien either. 

Of course her father's immediate response was to physically carry her poor unsuspecting boyfriend and place him in front of the screen. It was funny, really, how easily Adrien adapted from the nervous, polite young man he was raised to be - into an endearing kid whose cheeks her grandmother wanted to squish. 

Didn't blame her. Puberty had done him good, but he still had those darn adorable squishy cheeks. 

So why was she here now, alone at the Arc De Triomphe, when her party had ended and she should have been home?

"Ha!! Found you!" Chat Noir said breathlessly as he landed behind her. 

Oh, that's right. She had challenged her cheeky dork of a boyfriend to a game of hide and seek during patrol.

"Took you long enough." She smirked, without disturbing her beautiful view of the Paris skyline.

"Someone decided to not tell me where she was going." He said dryly. 

"Someone wouldn't stop teasing me about forgetting my birthday." She quipped. 

"Well, you gotta admit, it is sort of out of character for you, Bugaboo." He sat down, deliberately getting into her space as he slung an arm around her. "You always seemed to sniff out every su-purr-ise party we threw for you." 

...that was true. Why hadn't she remembered? 

"I honestly don't know." She remarked. "It genuinely slipped my mind." 

Even as she said it, there was a Tikki-like waggle at the back of her mind. 

"Is it because of the Miracle box?" He asked quietly, realizing her change in mood. 

"I was thinking of you know, maybe just switching up the miraculouses among our old team?" Ladybug offered quietly. "Like, Alya is very confrontational and the dragon would work with her." 

"Nino would be a great bee." Chat piped up for his best friend. "He works well in defense." 

"That's literally all I got." Ladybug said, sadly. "I still don't know what we could give Kagami, and Luka isn't in town and the horse is so versatile anyone could handle it-" 

"Hey, hey, no negative thoughts. You're doing so well. I know it, Tikki knows it, Wayzz knows it." He said encouragingly. 

He didn't think she would actually have room for doubt when he had seen her skillfully work out which miraculous they would need for extra backup and handle the kwamis like a doting mother hen.

He could understand why she was unconfident though. He could only imagine the amount of stress she was under.

"I know we're doing fine with combining the miraculouses whenever we need it, and now that we aren't timing out, maybe we could continue down that path - but we can't." Ladybug sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. We'll tire ourselves out." Chat agreed, cradling her head. 

"It just makes me so sad, you know? All of our friends, they were perfect! They were so well suited for their miraculous and I was so proud because I chose them- and -" she was getting agitated. "The butterfly freak had to ruin everything." 

Her sleepless nights were mostly murmurs of "Don't feel, don't feel, don't feel." She didn't want to wake Tikki, and Adrien barely had time to sleep as it is; she didn't want to bother either of them too much.

"I promise you, I will punch him one day on your behalf." Chat said, flexing. "These guns will handle him." 

"Save some room for me." She murmured. "Can't have you monopolizing all the hits." 

He chuckled. "Besides, do you really want to talk about Hawkass today of all days?" 

She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. "What are you up to?" 

"Oh you think I teased you because I felt like doing it?" He whistled innocently. 

"Wait, so you made me annoyed on purpose?" Ladybug gasped, affronted at his audacity. 

"Why, Bugaboo, I think you know by now that I don't need to wear the snake to _rattle_ you."

"Whatever could have made me think that?" She said sarcastically. "Definitely not the three years I spent listening to your puns, that's for sure." 

"I had to get you alone, M'lady, I couldn't exactly give you your present in front of everyone. Well, Alya mostly-"

"My present?" Ladybug's eyes lit up, and that changed his demeanor completely.

"Uh, yeah!" His voice cracked a little in nervousness. "I um, couldn't give it to you at first because uh, you are you- I mean, Ladybug and- wait, I can't tell you that-" 

She cupped his cheeks, forcing him to stop. "Chaton, breathe." 

"I'm going to love whatever you got me. No matter what it is." She smiled.

"Okay." He gulped, taking a deep breath. "Have I ever told you how soft your hands are, even in the suit?" 

"You're stalling." 

"Yeah, I'm stalling." He said, sheepishly, moving his head to kiss one of her palms tenderly. "Close your eyes for me."

He looked terribly uneasy, so Ladybug immediately obeyed to make him feel better. 

She felt his arm move from around her back, and all of a sudden, the side of her thigh wasn't pressed up against his. 

She gasped slightly when she felt cold metal on her exposed neck, followed by his claws brushing against her nape. 

"Wha-?" She flinched, but was calmed by Adrien whispering in her ear. "You can open 'em now." 

She opened her eyes just as she felt the slight weight of something hanging from her neck. 

She held up the ladybug charm on her new necklace. The spots were made out of black rhinestones, and it definitely felt too heavy to be cheap. 

She turned around to see him sitting on his heels, his eyes nervously darting back and forth between her and the necklace, trying to gauge her reaction. 

She always felt so guilty about him spending money on her, but he looked so genuinely earnest - she just couldn't dwell on that for too long. 

"I love it." She breathed, and he positively lit up.

He definitely didn't pick up a random necklace with a large price tag, that's for sure. There was a story behind it, a story his eyes were dying to narrate.

"You think so?" He asked excitedly, like a child on Christmas day. "I saw it in this super exclusive store ages ago when I was hanging out with Nino and I immediately thought of you, I mean, Ladybug you, and I just really, really wanted you to have it, but we were in a weird place and this gift was too romantic and I knew you didn't want that from me, but then I thought, you know who else would love this? Marinette!! She is an everyday Ladybug too, but I don't know, I didn't want to put you-you off by giving you such a forward gift and - a few days back I passed that store again and I realised, ‘Hey, you're not an idiot anymore, get it for her-!’" He was cut off by her launching herself to plant one on him. 

"Wha...?" He was completely dazed when she pulled away.

"You are too good for this world, Adrien Agreste." Marinette blinked away her tears as she wound her arms even further around his neck to kiss him better.

He melted into the kiss with a relieved sigh. He got up on his knees, making her tilt her head back as he altered his angle, her gasping into his mouth as he did. 

"I don't know about..." he had to take a deep breath before continuing. "...about being too good for this world. It would be injustice if you didn't have this." He traced a sensual line on the skin beneath her chain. "It was purr-actically made for you." 

She nuzzled her nose against his. Was it possible to take a moment in time and store it away? She could definitely use some of this utter bliss these days. 

"Can we stay here a little while longer?" He said, looking down at her, his hand tiptoeing down her arm to clasp her fingers.

Marinette noticed things. She was Ladybug for a reason. She noticed things nobody else batted an eye at. 

Adrien was a very expressive person, but she also knew he held back a lot more than he realised. 

"What's wrong, chaton?" She brushed away the soft strands of hair that fell in his eyes.

And now, something was bugging him. He could change moods like a pro; before she knew it, he went from wistful longing to restrained excitement.

"Nothing's wrong! I just want you to myself for a little while longer." He said, smiling easily. 

His face could change, his eyes could lie, but his cat ears always told the truth.

She flicked them gently, (which was quite a feat since they were practically pressed against his head) frowning as she caught him in his lie. 

"What's wrong?" She repeated her question welcomingly. Just because she couldn't tell him everything doesn't mean he didn't have to. 

That was totally different. She had a valid reason to hold herself back.

"Nothing...I don't want to upset you or bring up things- it's irrelevant." 

"Chaton, I want to hear these things. I want to be there for you. Don't call it a bother." She said fiercely. "I would never call you or your problems irrelevant." 

He sighed, sitting down and bringing her along with him. "It's dumb-" he stopped himself when he noticed her glare. "I've been trying to get an appointment with my dad for months."

Appointment. 

Gabriel Agreste met his own son through  _ appointments _ . Like he was any other employee in his company.

That alone was enough for her to fist her free palm, but she held herself back, letting him continue.

"I just wanted to talk to him about my university degree. He's been telling me all my life that I needed to take business so I could take over the company someday but....I don't want to." Admitting those words to someone who wasn't a gluttonous kwami was weirdly soothing. 

"What do you want to do?" She asked kindly, even if she knew the answer. He valued her opinion, but she wanted him to feel heard.

"Physics." He said bashfully. "I know it'll probably make for a modest career but I'll probably take up competitive fencing too, because I do enjoy that as well. And it's a good way to appease him, if he ever gets the time to listen." He sighed sadly.

"Adrien, listen to me." Marinette turned his chin towards her. "If you want to take fencing, don't let it be to appease your father. He isn't going to live your life. You are. If you love physics or even fencing, you should take it. I'm with you, no matter what." 

He gave her a strained smile. "Thank you, m'lady. Things are hard but being with you makes it easier." 

"You know that's not right, don't you, Adrien?" Marinette pleaded. "You shouldn't have to beg for attention from your own father - he's, he's being really...." she didn't have a word for it.

"I know. But it's not like I can do anything to change that." His expression darkened. "He gets angry when _ I _ don't tell him things but it's impossible to get a proper conversation out of him." 

The little flinch he made - like he had been caught in a wrongful act - after ranting about his father worried Marinette. "He's not here. You can talk about it however you want." 

"I...I don't think he'll send me away from Paris." He stammered. "Even if he did, I would fight against it!" He quickly said when Ladybug gasped. "I would _ never _ leave you, m'lady, ever. But he likes to have me within his reach." He said bitterly. "More spying, yay. He can't do that if I'm away in another city. He doesn't trust me to live on my own, or have basic life skills." 

"Well, would someone with no basic life skills have mastered baking bread in 3 weeks?" Marinette giggled as she kissed his cheek. She and her father were relentless when it came to teaching Adrien how to cook. It helped that he was naturally diligent at whatever he did.

"I love your parents." He sighed semi-happily. "They're amazing." 

"Oh so you're just dating me for my parents?" She laughed but it turned into a tiny shriek when he pulled her to his side by the middle. 

He fell back on the stone building, bringing her on top of his chest. "Oh no, you've discovered my deepest, darkest secret. I'm a stray in need of a loving home." 

"That's not a secret." She said absent mindedly carding her fingers through his hair as she relaxed herself into a cuddle next to him. "Either way, I'm more than happy to give him one. He thinks he doesn't deserve all the cuddles, hugs and love in the world, but I'm more than ready to prove him wrong."

"You coming for my role as the cheesy sap, bug?" He absent mindedly played with her ribbons, pondering over her words.

Her fingers trailed from his hair to ghost over his lips. He leaned down to kiss her briefly, and she fit herself even more snugly into his side. Their legs were a tangled mess, and he was sure he was going home with lip gloss stains on his mouth, yet this was the most clear headed Adrien had felt in forever. 

Funny how the sight of the open sky on a national monument felt more like home than his room. _'No, scratch that,'_ he thought. It wasn't that sight, it was the much more glorious one currently lying in his arms. 

"You didn't answer my question, birthday girl." He said out loud. 

"What question?" She asked, confused. 

Adrien didn't know a lot of things. He didn't know what happened to his mother. He didn't know what his father's deal was. He didn't know if the egg came first or the chicken did.

He only knew two things right now. He loved Marinette. And he didn't want to go back to his house just yet. 

"Can we stay here a little longer?" He repeated, and her eyes softened. 

"Like you have to ask." She said, nuzzling his neck.

She definitely preferred him to the nightmares featuring light blue, cold unfeeling eyes that would await her once she was in her own bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You think it's going to be fluff and happiness?
> 
> You thought wrong.


End file.
